Page 39 - the NOISE December 2013

reclaimed water contain endocrine disrupt- ing compounds (EDCs). The endocrine sys- tem is found in all animals — including us, humans — and is made up of the pituitary, the parathyroid, the thyroid, the thymus, the adrenals, the pancreas, and the ovaries or the testicles. Since EDCs affect these particular areas of the body, they impact the hormones that regulate an organism’s development, growth, reproduction, and behavior.
There are numerous studies observing the effects that EDCs found in reclaimed water have on individual species, including those on fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles and mammals. Abnormal sexual development has been observed in wildlife exposed to re- claimed water for over twenty years (Purdom et al., 1994). Alligators exposed to endocrine blockers in reclaimed water are known to have depressed egg viability and smaller than normal phallus size (Milnes et. Al, 2005). As exposure levels increase, so do the num- bers of fish appearing with both sets of sex specific gonads (Jobling et al., 1998). One expected cause of recent amphibian decline is exposure to estrogens found in reclaimed water (Hayes et al., 1996). Birds exposed to endocrine blockers are laying eggs with thin- ner shells. A recent study on rats found expo- sure to endocrine disrupting agents during the gestational stages can cause changes to regions of the brain that control sex-specific reproductive physiology and behavior (Dick- erson et al., 2011).
While these studies were not used in the Forest Service’s 2005 Final Impact Statement for Arizona Snowbowl Facilities Improvements, other studies were mentioned that indicated endocrine disruptors were known to cause behavioral and sexual changes in exposed species found on the San Francisco Peaks. Yet, because this line of research was still thought to be in its nascent stages, Snow- bowl’s proposed snowmaking plans were pushed on down the pipe.
In 2012, a report titled State of the Science of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals — pro- duced by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) — made evident that
“higher rates of reproductive problems are found in animals with higher exposure to EDCs than in those exposed to lower con- centrations” (unep.org/pdf/EDCs_Summa- ry_for_DMs%20_Jan24.pdf). The report also states that: exposure to EDCs during fetal development and puberty plays a role in the increased incidences of reproductive diseases, endocrine-related cancers, behavioral and learning problems.
If you find the idea of this concerning, don’t worry too much. The Arizona Snow- bowl has it on their own authority that “[r] eclaimed water and potable water currently contain many elements but do not pose a health concern” (arizonasnowbowl.com/re- sort/snowmaking_fact_sheets.php).
Sure. Just as long as you don’t drink the water. Or, expose your children to it.
Over ten years ago, on my very last day of skiing at Arizona Snowbowl, there was a spring snow and I couldn’t seem to go fast enough. It was the kind of snow that begged me to forgo turns and the wind on my face, no matter how warm the day be- came, brought tears to my eyes. I remember I had a sunburn slowly blooming across my nose and cheeks at the end of that day, and I was a little drunk on the mixture of vitamin D and spent adrenaline. If I had known then this was to be my last day of skiing at the Arizona Snowbowl, would I have attempted to focus more on the minutia? I think so. I
would like to be able to say how many runs I took that day, how many lift rides with the wet snow dripping and sliding off my skis. I would like to remember if I noticed how the late afternoon light reflected off of the fir and the aspen trees as I sat at the lodge. I’d like to remember if I had cider or cocoa, and the specifics of that last beer. Small things really, but there you are.
I gave up skiing at the Arizona Snowbowl because of their plan to use reclaimed wa- ter to make snow. This plan — to expose our forest lands to hazardous compounds
— was put into action in order to benefit a privately owned company. I am ashamed our city has allowed this to happen, in order to extend the ski season, increase tourism, and sell some sh*t water; and, in no way do I believe this particular development falls under the perimeters of the Forest Service’s sustainable multiple-use management con- cept. I will continue not skiing at the Arizona Snowbowl because I do not want to support their unrelenting disregard toward and en- dangering of wild and revered areas for the recreational purposes of skiing, snowboard- ing, and/or sledding.
During the summer of 2012, my hiking forays on the San Francisco Peaks were ac- companied by Snowbowl’s expansion. From the meadows I watched the trees come down and the slash piles burn. Early in the morning the curls of smoke settled along the flanks of the mountain as the noise of heavy equipment silenced the birds. Along Snowbowl Road the water pipe was laid into the torn ground, piece by piece. The pump station: fortified and locked against pos- sible assault. At the ski area itself, the cut- ting and burning, the widening of runs and the building of snow dispersal systems; all new scars on an already over-trafficked mountain. Now, at the start of each ski sea- son, reclaimed water will be used to create the base layer on Snowbowl’s ski runs. It will be the foundation snowpack and it will soak into the ground. With each year’s melt, the reclaimed water used to make snow will spread its contaminants into the ecosystems around the San Francisco Peaks and into the designated wilderness areas of this sacred place.
REFERENCES
Dickerson, S., Cunningham, S., & Gore, A. (2001). Prenatal PCBs disrupt early neuroendocrine devel- opment in rat hypothalamus. Toxicology and Ap- plied Pharmacology, 252, 36-46.
Hayes, T., Case, P., Chui, S., Chung, D., Haeffele, C., Haston, K., Lee, M., Mai, V., Marjuoa, Y., Parker, J., & Tsui, M. (2006). Pesticide mixtures, endocrine disruption, and amphibian declines: Are we un- derestimating the impact? Environmental Health Perspectives, 114, 40-50.
Jobling, S., Nolan, M., Tyler, C.R., Brighty, G., Sumpter, J.P. (1998) Widespread sexual disruption in wild fish. Environmental Science and Technology, 32 (17), 2498-2506.
Milnes, M., Bermudez, D., Bryan, T., Gunder- son, M., & Guillette, L. (2005). Altered neonatal development and endocrine function in Alligator mississippienis associated with a contaminated environment. Biology of Reproduction, 73(5), 1004- 1010.
Purdom, C.E., Hardiman, P., Bye, V., Eno, N., Tyler, C., & Sumpter, J. (1994). Estrogenic effects of efflu- ents from sewage treatment works. Chemistry in Ecology, 8, 275-285.
| Sarah Weatherby is an avid reader, hiker and wrangler of invasive weeds. She recently received both a Master’s of Science and a slight case of frostbite while in Montana. sraweatherby@gmail.com
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